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The Ballpark

LSE Film and Audio Team

The Ballpark is the LSE US Centre"s regular podcast on the politics and policy of the United States. Through features and interviews with academics from the LSE and elsewhere, The Ballpark looks more closely into what"s going on behind the headlines.

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All Episodes

00:34:52

LSE: The Ballpark | The US-China AI race with...

The Ballpark ·

2025/06/30

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Angela Zhang | In January 2025, the release of a new model and chatbot by Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek, sent shockwaves through the tech industry in the US and elsewhere. DeepSeek’s launch was only one milestone in the ongoing AI competition between China and the US which has seen the US try to restrict the exports of key components used in AI development to other countries.In the second episode of The Ballpark’s miniseries on AI and the US,

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00:34:30

LSE: The Ballpark | The US and India–Pakistan...

The Ballpark ·

2025/06/18

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson | On May 7th, 2025, India launched missile strikes on Pakistan in response to a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on April 22nd. On May 10th a ceasefire was reached following mediation from the United States.To discuss the US’ part in brokering a ceasefire, and the US’ responses to disputes between India and Pakistan over the past three decades, in June 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the

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00:34:28

LSE: The Ballpark | International Relations and...

The Ballpark ·

2025/06/03

Contributor(s): Dr Theresa Squatrito, Rohan Mukherjee, Agnes Yu, Farsan Ghassim, Tim Murithi | The US-led international order is under strain from without and within. Authoritarian powers such as Russia and China are challenging the core tenets of global cooperation and conflict management. Rising states of the Global South like India, Brazil, and South Africa demand reformed multilateralism in the institutions of global governance, and the US and its Western allies face a domestic surge of

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00:33:00

LSE: The Ballpark | US-China relations under the new...

The Ballpark ·

2025/02/24

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Minxin Pei | President Trump has made his feelings about US competition with China plain; one of the early acts of his second presidential term has been to place tariffs on Chinese imports. China has since responded with its own tariffs on certain US goods and restrictions on the import of important minerals.To talk about US-China relations with the return of Donald Trump, in February 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Minxin Pei, the Tom and Margot

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00:38:48

LSE: The Ballpark | The West and the failure of...

The Ballpark ·

2024/10/18

Contributor(s): Professor Fawaz Gerges, Chris Gilson | In October 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations in the Department of International Relations at LSE, and holder of the Emirates Professorship in Contemporary Middle East Studies.They spoke about his new book, “What Really Went Wrong: The West and the failure of democracy in the Middle East”. We also discussed the history of US involvement in the region, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East

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00:31:24

LSE: The Ballpark | The social media spiral of...

The Ballpark ·

2024/10/14

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Nick Lewis | In September 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Nick Lewis, a PhD student in LSE’s Department of Government and a recipient of a Phelan US Centre PhD Summer Research Grant in 2022. Nick’s research looks at how social media creates bias in democratic deliberation. They spoke about how Facebook discourages people from taking part in discussions via what’s called the “spiral of silence”. They also discussed the importance of social media in the 2024

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00:56:46

LSE: The Ballpark | Why America Can’t Retrench with...

The Ballpark ·

2024/09/30

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr. Peter Harris | In September 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Peter Harris, Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University about his new book, Why America Can’t Retrench (And How It Might) which looks at the US’ dominant role in the world, how it got there and the factors preventing global restraint. They discuss the idea of America’s ‘primacist’ approach to international affairs and the role of domestic politics and systems in preventing a

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00:31:08

LSE: The Ballpark | Faculty-student research...

The Ballpark ·

2024/09/23

Contributor(s): Evelyn Ong, Callum Cleasby | In August 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Evelyne Ong, an undergraduate research assistant with the Phelan US Centre for the 2023-24 academic year.They discuss her work with Visiting Professor Jeffrey Legro, on the project, ‘The Nuclear Revolution and Great Power Competition’. They also talked about her experience taking part in the Phelan US Centre’s undergraduate research assistantship programme. This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and

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00:42:54

LSE: The Ballpark | Master’s students essay...

The Ballpark ·

2024/09/16

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson | In 2024, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with the prompt, ““How should the United States work to shape the future of capitalism in this age of insecurity?”. We speak to the author of the winning essay, David Millman, and the runners-up, Yazmin Baptiste and Manickam Valliappan. We discuss their essays, the competition, what it’s like for students to engage with a wider audience, and the opportunity they had to present their essays in

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00:40:22

LSE: The Ballpark | US Industrial Policy with...

The Ballpark ·

2024/09/02

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Nathan Lane | In July 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Nathan Lane, Associate Professor in Economics at Oxford University, about industrial policy in the United States and its history, including recent policies from the Biden administration like the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act. They also discussed how US industrial policy might change depending on who wins the 2024 presidential election.This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

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01:04:25

LSE: The Ballpark | Parliamentary America with...

The Ballpark ·

2024/07/22

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Maxwell Stearns | In May 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Maxwell Stearns, the Venable, Baetjer & Howard Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law about his new book, Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy. The book argues that the solution to many of America’s democratic challenges is to amend the Constitution to reform the US government to become a parliamentary

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00:46:31

LSE: The Ballpark | The media, truth, and reality...

The Ballpark ·

2024/06/10

Contributor(s): Brooke Gladstone, Chris Gilson | In 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Brooke Gladstone, host and Managing Editor of WNYC’s On the Media about the US’ changing media landscape, the meaning of truth and facts in the age of Donald Trump, and how we can teach the next generation to be better media consumers.This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

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00:43:07

LSE: The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Made in China:...

The Ballpark ·

2024/05/03

Contributor(s): Elizabeth Ingleson, Chris Gilson | In April 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Elizabeth Ingleson, Assistant Professor in the Department of International History at LSE and Centre Affiliate of the Phelan US Centre. They spoke about Dr Ingleson’s new book, Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade. They also discussed the evolution of the US-China trade relationship since the 1970s, including the role played by US policymakers and capitalist

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00:45:54

LSE: The Ballpark | The Insiders’ Game: How Elites...

The Ballpark ·

2024/04/29

Contributor(s): Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Chris Gilson | In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University about her new book, ‘The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace’ and the role of ‘elites’ in US foreign policymaking.This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributors: Professor Elizabeth Saunders (Columbia University)

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00:46:07

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Bipartisanship and US...

The Ballpark ·

2024/02/19

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr. Jordan Tama | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service about his new book, Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy: Cooperation in a Polarized Age. They also discussed how party control in the US government can influence foreign policy, the changing coalitions of the Democratic and Republican parties and why some foreign policy issues have bipartisan consensus while others

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00:39:07

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Brattle Group...

The Ballpark ·

2024/02/05

Contributor(s): Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, Mary Olson, Chris Gilson | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to the authors of the Brattle Group Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, which estimates reparations for the total harm from enslavement, including to those who were enslaved and to their descendants. Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, and Mary Olson discuss their report and how it can inform calls for reparations for enslavement.This Extra Inning was

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00:27:59

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Future of US-China...

The Ballpark ·

2024/01/22

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr. Ashley Tellis | In January 2024, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Ashley Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about how the US has engaged with China economically in recent decades. They discuss how the US’ strategy towards China has shifted across recent presidencies, the effectiveness of ‘friendshoring’ policies, and decoupling and de-risking relationships between China, the United

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00:41:33

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Why China Hawks are...

The Ballpark ·

2024/01/17

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor William Wohlforth | In 2023, the Phelan US Centre spoke to spoke to William C. Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, about the United States’ role as the world’s unipolar power. They also discuss the rise of China and what this means for the international role of the United States, and his upcoming book, with Jill Kastner, on great power subversion. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson

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00:44:19

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Rust Belt Union Blues...

The Ballpark ·

2024/01/04

Contributor(s): Professor Theda Skocpol, Chris Gilson | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University about her new book, with Lainey Newman, Rust Belt Union Blues Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party. Using Western Pennsylvania as a case study, their book examines the decline of labor unions and the shift of working-class voters away from the Democratic Party. We also

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00:38:34

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Master’s students essay...

The Ballpark ·

2023/12/11

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson | In 2023, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with the prompt, “What responsibility does the US have to the rest of the world on climate change?”. In this Extra Inning, we speak to the author of the winning essay, Oscar Parry, and the runners-up, Jibran Raja and Alia Yusuf. We discuss the essay competition, what it’s like for students to engage with a wider audience, and the opportunity they had to present their essays in the UK

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137 results

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